There are a number of products in various industries, including automotive, office and home furnishings, construction, and others; that require materials having a z-direction thickness to provide thermal, sound insulation, aesthetic, and other performance features. In many of these applications it is also required that the material be thermoformable to a specified shape and rigidity. In the automotive industry these products often are used for shielding applications such as noise and thermal barriers in automotive hood liners, firewall barriers, and flooring. These automotive materials may or may not have an aesthetic cover material incorporated into the part, which can also protect the core from abrasion, etc. In home and office furnishing, and construction applications these materials are often used as structural elements to which exterior decorative materials might be added.
There is a need for an acoustic nonwoven composite having improved acoustic properties, lower materials and manufacturing costs.